


Life Imitating Art

by jacaranda_bloom



Series: From The Heart [4]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Barista Harry, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Kissing, M/M, Nipple Play, Rimming, Spanking, Writer Louis, coffee shop AU, harry is a dork, louis is a nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 15:18:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19832920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacaranda_bloom/pseuds/jacaranda_bloom
Summary: PART 4 SUMMARY: Louis is taken on a very real journey through his fic back catalogue - life has never imitated art so salaciously.SERIES SUMMARY: Every Tuesday, Louis spends his day off holed up in his favorite coffee-come-bookshop, writing his little stories as part of the WordPlay challenge while daydreaming about the resident barista, Harry. Each week a new word prompt is revealed and Louis adds to his series of short stories about Henry, the owner of a B&B in the Cotswolds who has curly hair and dimples, Lewis, his long term guest who just happens to be a writer, and Tigger, Henry’s cat.As Louis and Harry’s friendship develops, could his fantasy world spill out into real life? And how does that reader who leaves the lovely comments with the teacup emoji seem to be able to read Louis’ mind?





	Life Imitating Art

**Author's Note:**

> This is Part 4 of a 5 part series, From The Heart, written for the WordPlay 3.0 Challenge. It is essentially a chaptered fic so you will need to read Part 1, 2 and 3 before moving onto this fic. Thank you for choosing to read this fic and I really hope you enjoy it. xx
> 
> This is part of a Wordplay prompt challenge for the prompt "tin". To read the amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/tin_tin), and to see all fics written as part of the challenge (including years 1 and 2), [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wordplay_fic_challenge/works). You can also find the masterpost for this year’s challenge [here](https://wordplayfics.tumblr.com/post/185709101043/wordplay-2019-every-week-for-five-weeks-a-prompt).
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcome. xx
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [ jacaranda-bloom ](https://jacaranda-bloom.tumblr.com/) and if you’d like to reblog my [ Tumblr fic post ](https://jacaranda-bloom.tumblr.com/post/185841906193/from-the-heart-by-jacaranda-bloom-written-for-the) that would be lovely!

The thing about blow jobs is that aside from ones that are a little too ouchie with the teeth, there’s pretty much no such thing as a _bad_ blow job. Louis has had his fair share of less than enthusiastic efforts for sure, as well as ones that haven’t exactly set his world on fire, but on the whole, having someone suck your cock is truly one of the best things there is. What’s not to like? There are lips and tongue and the wet glide of a saliva soaked mouth and it’s really a glorious thing. Sure, some people don’t have the best technique and there are often awkward moments, but all in all, it’s fucking fantastic.

But now, as Harry works him over, every rating scale or checklist or comparison he’s ever considered are being obliterated. Jesus fucking _Christ_. Harry gives head as though it’s his single purpose for being placed on the planet and it’s like nothing Louis has ever experienced. He puts his whole body into it; hands, fingers, throat, tongue, lips, even his chin comes into play as he rubs it against Louis’ balls. All of that combined with the constant, low growl he’s emitting from deep in his chest sending vibrations straight through his dick has Louis wondering what the hell he’s been doing with his life.

Louis’ head thuds back against the wall, hands splayed out beside him and body frozen in place, the brush of Harry’s wet hair tickling the tops of thighs and managing to keep him somewhat grounded. He can feel his legs trembling, threatening to give out and Harry must sense it, wrapping his hands around the backs of Louis’ knees to effectively hold him up. His pants are pooled around his ankles, arse pressed into the cold plaster goosepimpling his skin and it’s a stark contrast the heat of Harry’s mouth.

Harry swirls his tongue around the head and massages the bundle of nerves on the underside, just hiding under the crown, a bolt of electricity shooting down the shaft and into his gut. Louis’ cock slides further into his mouth, as Harry slackens his jaw until it hits the back of his throat. “Oh god, oh god, oh god, Harry, _fuck_.” Louis slaps the wall with both hands, bucking his hips forward involuntarily as he chances a look down. He regrets it immediately. Harry is staring up at him, plush lips wrapped around his cock, the hint of a smirk in his eyes, cheeks flushed, and drops of rain still clinging to his eyelashes. He looks so sinful, and while Harry may be the one on his knees, Louis is under no illusion as to who is in control and it’s the most arousing contradiction imaginable. 

Harry reaches up and takes ahold of Louis’ shaking hands, peeling them off the wall and bringing them to rest at the back of his head. _Fuck_. He lets go once Louis gets the idea and sits back on his heels, relaxing his jaw even further and nodding as he clasps his hands behind his back.

“F-Fuck. Yeah?” Louis rasps out and Harry nods.

Louis is gonna die. Death by blow job. What a way to go, though.

Louis lets his fingers thread through Harry’s hair, tugging gently and Harry’s eyes flutter closed, an obscene moan rumbling up from his chest and straight through Louis’ dick. “You should be illegal,” Louis whispers, a touch of wonder in his voice.

Louis thrusts forward tentatively and Harry whines in frustration, clearly wanting more. A small crease appears between his brows and there’s really no circumstance in which it wouldn’t be adorable but he can focus on that another time. Right now he has the wanton, needy, version of the man before him which is a whole other beast and he needs to give him what he wants. Harry shuffles forward, pressing his nose into Louis’ pubic hair and forcing Louis’ cock into the back of his throat again.

Louis grips Harry’s hair tightly and pushes in with more force, pulling back out almost completely before thrusting in again, this time building a steady pace. The calm that settles over Harry’s face is immediate and surprising. Louis has had guys on their knees for him before but he’s never seen anything like this. It’s as though Harry has completely blissed out and it’s kind of mesmerizing. Louis gets a bit lost in it, so focused on Harry’s face and lips and the sensations that he barely registers the tightening in his gut. His hips stutter as he sucks in a sharp breath. He doesn’t want to come, not yet, but his body apparently didn’t get the memo. Suddenly the brakes go on, hard, a pinch to his thigh snapping him out of his almost-orgasm haze and he releases his hold on Harry’s head. “What the-?”

Harry pulls off and circles his thumb and forefinger around the base of Louis’ cock as he rubs the sore spot on his thigh. “Now, now,” Harry chastises, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I don’t think you want to come yet do you, _Lucas_?”

_Lucas_ ? What the fuck? And… ohhhhhh… Realisation crashes over him and he flushes from head to toe. “You’re… _shit_ . This is… you’re acting out a scene? From _Hallway Memories_?”

Harry nods slowly and gets to his feet, not releasing Louis’ cock which is a good thing because this new development might’ve had Louis unable to hold back without his firm grip staving off his orgasm. _Hallway Memories_ had been the first truly explicit fic he’d written. The main character was Lucas, a sexually inexperienced accountant who moved to a small seaside town to find some peace from the big city and had met Anthony, a local fisherman, who helped him uncover the fire hiding under his bookish exterior. He’d been nervous about writing it, unsure of whether his words would be enough to convey the desire and passion between them but his readers had given him the reassurance he needed and he’d never looked back.

Harry releases his grip and trails his hands up under Louis’ shirt, lifting it up and thumbing over his nipples. Louis sucks in a breath and Harry does it again, and again. “Yeah. Loved that fic. You have _no_ idea. I’d never read anything like it. Wanked to it so many times.” 

Louis’ brain is a mess, grappling to remember what happens next in the story, but he can’t form coherent thoughts with the way Harry is working him over. “Nnrrgghhh… Harry.”

Harry gives him a brief reprieve as he reaches up and pulls his shirt over his head, flinging it to the floor with a wet slap. Louis raises his arms in the air and Harry smirks at his eagerness, pushing his shirt up the rest of the way and it quickly finds its place next to Harry’s on the wooden boards. Louis is essentially naked now, completely exposed, sweats and boxers around his ankles, cock standing to attention, jutting into Harry’s thigh.

“When I was running over here in the rain, all I could think about was all those scenes you’d written, how fucking good they were, how fucking hot they were, how I couldn’t wait to do all those things to you, everything you’d described, in intricate detail.” Harry plants a foot on Louis’ pants and taps his legs, leaning in and kissing up his neck as Louis steps out of them, kicking them away.

Louis whimpers at Harry’s words and his fingers find the button of Harry’s jeans, undoing it and sliding down the zipper, digging his hand inside and feeling the long length of Harry’s cock. It’s huge. So warm and thick and damp at the tip through his briefs.

“Yeah? W-What other ones did you like?” Louis stammers out as he pushes Harry’s jeans down under his arse, but they’re wet and he’s struggling to get them to peel off Harry’s skin. He huffs in frustration and Harry chuckles, taking over and shucking them the rest of the way off.

“I liked them all. Every single one,” Harry murmurs, taking hold of Louis hands and pulling him away from the wall, fixing him with a stare so intense Louis’ heart skips a beat. “And I’m going to reenact them all… one… by one.”

Louis wants to look down, wants to see Harry’s naked form in all its glory but he can’t break away from Harry’s gaze, it’s like he’s got him in a tractor beam and he’s completely at his mercy.

Harry pauses and then smirks, a flash of devilry lighting up his eyes and then Louis is being hauled up and over Harry’s shoulder. “Unhand me you brute!” Louis squawks, giggles spilling from his mouth. He’s presented with Harry’s pert little bum right in his eye line and it’s too good of an opportunity to miss. He slaps at it, making it jiggle, Harry cackling as he strides into the living room, throwing Louis unceremoniously onto the couch. He bounces with the force of it and can’t help the giggles that continue to bubble from his mouth. Harry stands over him, the light from the gas fireplace casting shadows on his long lean body, and Louis finally lets himself take it all in. He’s muscled, but not garishly so, just the perfect amount to define him and give him the strength to manhandle Louis the way he loves. Louis licks his lips, cock twitching at the thought and mind swimming with all the possibilities for what might happen next. He racks his brain for scenes from his other fics but it’s still being uncooperative. He figures Harry has a plan anyway and he’s excited to see where he takes things, so he relaxes into the cushions and looks up at Harry expectantly. “So… what’s next on the agenda?”

Harry grins and leans over, grabbing the throw rug from the back of the couch. “Haven’t you worked it out yet?” He shakes the rug out of its folded state as he picks up Louis’ laptop, setting it on the armchair to the side to clear the space. He lays the soft, grey throw on the coffee table and Louis’ brain short circuits, sitting bolt upright and swinging his legs over the couch, setting his feet on the floor, back ramrod straight. “Oh, fucking hell.”

“And _there_ it is… took you long enough.”

_Where’s The Fire?_ was one of his more recent fics, and was basically, well… to say it was anything other than a porn-without-plot would be a bald-faced lie. It was an unabashed smut-fest. Lionel, the main character had a thing for being rimmed in front of the fire. He found a willing partner in Hamish, who had plush, pink lips and a long tongue that he would stick out before he took a bite of anything, perfectly designed for fucking into Lionel’s tight hole as he ate him out. Louis gulps, remembering back to when the idea for the fic had come to him. He’d been sat in the coffee shop, watching as Harry ate a banana, tongue first, happily chatting away to Mildred and acting like what he was doing wasn’t the most obscene thing imaginable. Louis had barely stopped himself from coming in his pants as he typed out the six-thousand-word fic in record time.

Harry grabs a cushion off the couch and drops it on the floor at the end of the coffee table, just as Hamish had done in his fic, turning back and reaching out to Louis with his hand. Louis takes it, standing on wobbly legs as Harry guides him over, the warmth of the fire licking at his skin. Harry spins him around and slots himself in behind him, placing a kiss on his shoulder, making Louis shiver. “On your knees, baby,” Harry says, breath ghosting against his neck and Louis thinks he could come just from Harry talking dirty to him, his voice so deep and sure.

Louis kneels down and braces his hands on the edge of the table, breaths laboured, heart rate increasing.

“Tuck your cock between your legs and lay face down, arms above your head.”

Louis does as instructed, letting his torso rest on the fluffy material, face turned toward the fire. He’s never been ordered around like this before and it’s the hottest fucking thing he’s ever experienced. Even though he knows what’s coming next, the thrill of anticipation is actually heightened as he waits to see how true Harry will stay to the storyline. 

Louis gets his answer as Harry walks up to where his hands are resting, taking hold of them and stretching them up, forcing Louis to shuffle forwards on his knees until his hips are flush with the end of the table. His fingers find purchase on the edge of the table and he grips on, Harry patting his knuckles in acknowledgement, before going back to the other end. Louis had written that fic with this exact coffee table in mind, this throw rug, this fireplace, and, of course, with himself and Harry as the main characters, even though at the time he never dreamed it would become a reality. 

“Look at you, all laid out for me, so beautiful,” Harry says, a hint of wonderment in his voice and Louis keens at the praise. The thing is, Louis _does_ feel beautiful. He feels beautiful and adored and safe and so happy he could burst.

“Harry…” It’s barely a whisper, his voice high and thin and far away. Harry’s hands on his hips make him flinch, but he’s relaxing again quickly. “Spread your legs now, knees apart.”

Louis moves one knee, and then the other, cock springing free from between his legs but staying pointed down, the base pressed up against the coffee table. He feels Harry kneel down behind him, shuffling into place and pressing his thighs against the backs of Louis’. Harry rocks his hips forward and their cocks brush between Louis’ legs. “Yes…” Louis hisses out, wiggling his arse, cock shifting and rubbing up alongside Harry’s once more. God. He’s so fucking turned on. He does it again and Harry’s fingers dig into the meaty flesh of his love handles.

Harry lays himself down on Louis’ back, reaching up and resting his hands over Louis’, giving them a squeeze. “Gonna eat you out now, baby,” Harry murmurs into his ear, hair tickling at his cheek. “Gonna eat you out until you’re begging me to fuck you,” Harry pauses and Louis whines, needy and impatient. “You like that, huh? I bet you do,” he says without waiting for a response from Louis, which is smart considering Louis couldn’t string a sentence together if you paid him. “Afterwards, I’ll carry you upstairs and fuck you. I’ll fuck you so good you’ll never want anyone else, ever again.”

Louis nods because it’s all he can manage and he wants Harry to know that he’s completely on board. Ready and willing. Besides, he’s already pretty sure that Harry’s right, he doubts he’s going to want anyone else after this.

Harry slides back down Louis’ body and trails his hands from the nape of Louis’ neck to the meat of his arse cheeks. He kneads them, pulling them apart and letting them come back together again, each cycle exposing Louis’ hole to Harry’s hot breath.

The first wet glide of Harry’s tongue is just as good as Louis knew it would be and he immediately melts into the table. When Harry comes back again it’s with increased pressure and a broad lick from his balls to the top of his crack. It’s as though those experimental actions were just to get Louis relaxed enough to be caught off guard when Harry starts going at it for real. It’s like he’s starving and eating Louis out is the only thing that will satisfy his hunger. Louis’ fingers grip onto the edge of the table and his breathing starts to pick up, pulse pounding in his ears. Harry is like a man possessed, licking and sucking and nipping at every nerve ending Louis has.

“Fuck, Harry. Oh my god,” Louis moans as Harry prods and pokes at the tight ring of muscle with his tongue. Louis can feel himself relaxing into it as he tries to push back against Harry’s mouth. He wants him inside, now. Harry takes the hint and presses in more insistently and his tongue breaches Louis’ rim. It’s fucking glorious and Louis lets out the most inhuman moan he’s ever heard himself make. That is until Harry starting growling against him, tongue deep, lips suctioned on tightly. The vibrations that roll through his body are like nothing he’s ever felt before, all the way from the ends of his toes to the tips of his ears.

When Harry starts tongue fucking him, Louis thinks that the stars behind his eyes may well be a permanent feature. He truly can’t take much more because he doesn’t want to come like this, as amazing as it would be, he can’t let their evening end like Lionel and Hamish’s did. He needs Harry inside him like he needs air.

“Harry.” Louis strains to speak the word, head a mess of thoughts and desires. “Harry,” Louis says more forcefully, pushing back suddenly with his arse. Harry breaks away with a loud pop as his lips detach from Louis’ hole. “Don’t wanna come like this. Wanna come on your cock.”

That seems to do the trick and Louis barely has time to register what’s happening before he’s been hauled up over Harry’s shoulder again, this time being carried towards the stairs and his waiting bedroom.

Harry flings Louis on the bed and Louis reaches over, reefing open his bedside drawer and pulling out some lube and a condom, chucking them both on the covers beside them as Harry settles between Louis’ legs.

Louis isn’t going to last long, not after the thorough rimming he just got, but he really can’t be arsed to care. He just wants to come, needs to come. They can go for slow and sensual next time, because there will absolutely be a next time, but for now, he just wants to get fucked, hard and fast. 

As if reading his mind, Harry doesn’t bother with any preamble or pleasantries. He goes straight in with two lubed up fingers, immediately twisting his wrist and starting to stroke his walls and stretch out his rim, encouraging the loosened muscle to relax even further. Two fingers become four before Louis can even catch his breath and grapple with what’s happening. Harry is relentless, a man on a mission, and his accuracy is infuriatingly good, artfully avoiding Louis’ prostate with every thrust of his long fingers.

Harry manages to keep pumping his fingers in and out as he picks up the condom and tears it open with his teeth, spitting the corner of the packet over his shoulder. He slides it down his shaft and grabs the lube again, slicking himself up and wiping the excess onto Louis relaxed hole. It’s an impressive show of coordination and Louis would mention it if he wasn’t so focused on not distracting Harry from the task at hand.

Harry stills his hand and stares deep into Louis eyes with a hunger he’s never before seen directed at himself. “Ready for me, baby?”

“ _God_ yes. Gimme everything you’ve got.”

“Oh, I will, don’t you worry about that,” Harry grins, pulling his fingers out and wiping them on the duvet. He grabs Louis’ legs and lifts them up, propping one ankle on each shoulder and shuffling forward on his knees. He takes his cock in his hand and lines up, pressing against Louis’ hole until they both feel the give, another few moments of tension passing and then the head of Harry’s cock is sucked inside, eliciting twin moans from their throats. Harry doesn’t stop though, pushing slowly inside, filling Louis up so completely that he can feel it everywhere. He bottoms out and given Harry’s size, Louis is impressed with how well he’s taken him. Harry must agree if the wide-eyed expression on his face is anything to go by. “Oh god, so good, so tight, fuck,” Harry pants out, looking down between them and seeing his cock buried in Louis’ arse. Harry’s eyes trail back up to Louis’ and Louis reaches up behind him, bracing himself on the headboard and pushing down, ever so gently, but enough to give Harry the hint.

“You sure, y’alright?” Harry asks with a slur.

“Yeah, come on, I was promised a proper dicking. Show me what you’ve got, stud,” Louis says cheekily, egging Harry on. It’s a bit cringe-worthy, but apparently, that doesn’t matter. Harry's eyes fill with determination and he nods, more to himself than to Louis, and pulls out, before thrusting back in hard. He stills again and that just _won’t_ do. Louis whines, wriggles his pelvis, and taps Harry's head with his toes, basically anything he can think of. He doesn’t know what it is that does the trick but Harry growls and shifts his hips backward before slamming in so hard Louis has to push against the headboard with his full strength to stop himself from being slid up the bed.

  
“Fuck, yeah, that’s it, _more_!” Louis shouts and that’s exactly what Harry’s gives him. He pounds into him with a punishing speed, hitting Louis’ prostate with every other thrust. Louis is already so over-sensitive from Harry’s clever tongue that he can feel his gut tightening all too quickly.

“Yeah? You like that... Your Highness?” Harry truly is something else. He can barely suck in a breath but he’s still playing along.  _ Royally Fucked,  _ yet another of Louis’ fics, was written for a Royalty AU Fest. It was a longer fic and had a few varied smut scenes, but Louis knows exactly which one he’s replicating now. It’s the ankles over the shoulders that give it away, but he also knows what else was in the scene, and he wonders if Harry will follow through. He’s been up for everything else, but this… perhaps this will be a step too far. Louis had been nervous to include it in his fic at first, it was a departure from what he usually wrote, but it was important to him not to close off any part of himself and this was something he’d always been interested in, he just knew he needed to find the right person. And right now, he’d bet all the money in his bank account that Harry is that person.

It’s an awkward angle for what he hopes is about to happen, but this is how Louis had written it, tired and trying to meet a deadline for posting, he just simply didn’t have the time to flip them into another position so he’d gone with this, hoping that his readers would cut him some slack. As Harry is dutifully keeping to the script he figures he’s not going to change their position either, so when he takes his hand away from where it’s been gripping onto Louis’ hip, he knows what’s coming.

Knowing it’s coming and having it actually happen are, however, two very different things. The sting on Louis’ butt cheek from Harry’s hand sends a zing up his spine, transforming somewhere along the way to a moan which bursts out of Louis’ mouth without his permission. The second and third slaps on the same cheek radiate a heat through his groin and into his gut like nothing he’s ever felt, and four and five shoot electricity straight to his cock.

“Yes,  _ yes _ , more!” Louis cries out, unable to contain himself.

Harry switches sides and dishes out five equal slaps, each one punctuated with Harry thrusting hard into Louis’ hole and sending him hurtling closer and closer to the edge. His entire body is thrumming, ears ringing, muscles straining, pleasure building to an inevitable end. The urgency of Harry’s movements and the force with which he’s pounding into Louis give a good indication that he’s clearly heading that way himself, now, if they can just get there together.

Louis reaches down and grabs ahold of Harry’s pistoning hips, digging his fingers into the flesh hard enough to leave bruises and causing Harry to groan. “Fuck, Lou, so close.”

“Me too, shit. Come on, fuck me, babe, give me everything you’ve got.”

It has the desired effect and Harry pounds into him mercilessly, reaching around and gripping onto Louis’ cock, tugging firmly in time with his thrusts. Louis throws his head back and cries out, he’s so fucking close, he just needs one final thing to push him over the edge.

“Fuck, look at you,” Harry pants out. The strain is clear in his voice but he keeps going and it’s exactly what Louis needs. “So gorgeous, so sexy. Could fuck you forever. Maybe I will. You’d… you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Louis punches out as Harry snaps his hips and strips his cock.

“Fill you up, good and proper, make you come whenever you want,” Harry says with a growl and twists his wrist one last time, fingers sliding around the head of Louis’ cock and that’s it. Louis doesn’t know if it’s Harry’s hand on his cock, his dick up his arse pressing into his prostate, or the dirty talk spilling from Harry’s mouth; maybe it’s a combination of them all. Regardless, Louis careens over the edge, come spurting up his chest and all over Harry’s hand. “Oh god!” Harry cries out and slams into Louis, holding himself in place as he follows Louis over the into the abyss.

Louis’ vision whites out and a rush of blood surges around his body, he feels like he’s on fire and frozen at the same time as though his senses are scrambled and up is down, and day is night.

He vaguely registers Harry’s pulling out, but he’s not sure of much else. Louis’ lungs are heaving and he can’t catch his breath, brain a swirling mess of emotions and sensations. There’s a buzzing in his ears, radiating out to his lips, the end of his nose, and bizarrely, his eyebrows. His toes are spasming, threatening to cramp and his calf muscles are so tight that he’s going to need to stretch them out soon before they petrify for all eternity.

He can vaguely make out the sound of the storm outside his bedroom window, the rain tapping on the tin roof. There’s really nothing more soothing than the sound of rain on tin. He’d had an awning specifically installed over his window so he could hear it when he was in bed at night. He’s written it into so many of his fics he’s lost count at this point, but to him, it’s akin to the romance of a fireplace or sunset, or as calming as a lullaby or a cup of tea.

Harry’s hand brushes the side of Louis’ leg and his cock twitches as it lays across the top of his thigh. No. Nope. No way. He’s going to have to give it a stern talking-to if it even _thinks_ about perking up again before the earth has done a few more revolutions around the sun. Or maybe one revolution. Or a half. Alright, at least another hour.

Another wave of pleasure sweeps through him at the mere thought, taking him by surprise. He feels like he’s still coming. How is that even possible? Harry Styles has broken him, clearly, or at the very least ruined him for sex with anyone else, ever again. A satisfied smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth when he realizes that he’s actually very okay with making that scenario a reality; a future where he only fucks Harry is a future he can very much get on board with.

There’s a murmuring beside him, soft and low, probably words, Louis guesses, although they’re not quite penetrating through the fog in his head. Harry shifts and Louis can feel the warmth of his puffed breaths on his face, a featherlight touch against his jaw bringing him back to the present and he squints open his eyes. Harry is hovering over him, hair plastered to his forehead and temples, eyes hooded and glassy. He’s fucking gorgeous. 

“I think… you broke me,” Louis rasps out, voice rough as he gazes up lovingly, stretching out his legs and uncurling his toes. “Forever destined to wander the earth as a mere shell of the man I once was.”

Harry chuckles and trails his hand down Louis’ neck and into the small thatch of hair between his pecs, pushing up and threading it through his fingers, scratching lightly with his nails. “You’re quite the poet when you’re in a post-coital haze.”

Louis leans up and seals their lips together, just because he can, and because he’s not going to deny himself of anything when it comes to this man ever again.

Harry runs his hand down Louis’ side and hooks under Louis’ knee bringing it up and over his hip. Louis turns into the embrace and deepens the kiss. Tasting himself and on Harry’s tongue again, salty and musky and so good and he wants to live in this moment forever. 

Louis pushes up and flips Harry onto his back, straddling him and brushing the hair from his face. He reaches behind him and drags the covers up from the bottom of the bed, over his shoulders and lays down on Harry’s chest, snuggling into his neck. Harry wraps him up in his strong arms and Louis feels a sense of calm spread through his entire body. “I could write sonnets about you, you know. Novels. Poems. Haikus. Fucking limericks if I was so inclined. Would you like that?”

“Well, you’ve already been writing about me for some time now, so yeah, I could go a limerick or two,” Harry says as he rubs circles on Louis’ back.

Louis lifts his head and looks down at him, a hint of worry nudging at the edges of his blissed-out sex-cloud. “Shit. Are you really creeped out by all of that? Me, like... writing about you?”

Harry’s mouth curls up into a grin. “You silly, silly, man. Of _course_ I’m not creeped out. Are you crazy? It’s like… the hottest bloody thing ever. Plus, you basically wrote me an instruction manual for how to fuck you, so…”

Louis lets the relief wash over him and he smiles, ducking back down and kissing along Harry’s jaw before working his way across to his mouth, sucking on his bottom lip and giving it a little bite. He releases the swollen flesh and admires his work, letting himself pause briefly to try and take in everything that has transpired in the last hour or so. “That’s good. That’s really good and I, for one, am very grateful that you’ve been such an attentive reader. That was some display you put on.”

“I aim to please,” Harry says and Louis slides off him, burrowing himself into Harry’s side and pulling the covers up around their necks. He feels like this is where he belongs, where he’s always belonged, and where he’ll belong for as long as Harry will have him.

“So, Harry Styles, barista, fluffy pink ear-muff wearing, pine nut fan, sex-god, what other talents are you hiding under that dorky but alluring exterior?”

Harry barks out a laugh and it jostles Louis’ head as he grins into his rib cage. “Uhm… a lot, I guess? I’m a financial analyst actually, but I’m taking a break from that at the moment. I’m in art school now and I do the barista thing part-time to help out. But art is my real passion.”

Louis snaps his head up and gapes. “You’re an analyst? Seriously?”

Harry nods and cringes a bit. “Not so sexy now, eh?”

“Are you fucking kidding me? _I’m_ an analyst! I mean, you know that already, but like, how could I not find that attractive? Analysts rock. We’re all kinds of awesome,” Louis says and folds his hands across Harry’s chest, propping his chin on his steepled knuckles and waggling his eyebrows. “Tell me more about this art thing? I’m intrigued.”

Harry’s eyes sparkle and Louis can see the excitement on his face, it’s endearing. “Well, actually, I draw, like charcoal sketches and stuff, watercolours, I’m really getting into digital art too. I just… I love it so much.”

“That’s amazing, Harry. I’d love to see some of your work if you’re up for sharing?”

Harry brings his hand up to his mouth, nibbling nervously on his fingernail. “Yeah? Yeah, okay. I’d like for you to see actually. I’ve got them in my dropbox so I can show you on your laptop if you’d like?”

Louis is so keen for this. Too keen perhaps, but now that he knows it’s Harry passion he wants to see it immediately, wants to immerse himself in everything that makes this man tick. He shuffles up onto his knees and stretches out his back, poking at Harry’s stomach playfully. “Come on then. Let’s get cleaned up and grab a cuppa. I wanna see these masterpieces!”

Harry groans and rolls his eyes, swatting Louis prodding fingers away. “Ugh, they’re probably not that great, don’t get your hopes up.” But Louis can see the faux-modesty seeping out of him and he can’t contain the smile that spreads across his face. 

“Up!” Louis shouts and clambers off the bed, cock slapping against his thigh and he doesn’t miss the hungry eyes Harry makes at the movement. “Oi! Enough of that,” Louis says as he crosses his hands over his groin, backing away toward the door. “My poor body needs a break so don’t go getting any ideas.”

“Meanie,” Harry grumps but he swings his long legs over to the side of the bed. “I’ll get you later. Don’t think even for a second that we’re not going for another round before bed.”

Louis’ heart jumps in his chest. _Before bed_. Before they go to bed, together, here, in Louis’ house. Louis very much likes the sound of that.

~~~~

“Alright. So…” Harry drawls out as he punches his login details into his dropbox account. “You need to understand these aren’t professional, in any way. And I’ve been, like, getting my inspiration from lots of different places…” He trails off and turns to look at Louis hesitantly, fingers hovering above the keys.

Louis sets his mug down on the coffee table and lays his hand on Harry’s thigh, squeezing reassuringly. “Yeah, ‘course. Hey, it’s alright, I’m just excited to share this part of your life, but if you’re not ready I don’t want to pressure you.”

“Thanks, Lou, but I want you to see,” Harry says softly, nodding as he turns back to the screen, bringing up his main page and clicking on a folder marked _Tea Time_. “Uhm… so it’s mainly in here, and like… some of these aren’t for my art class, they’re just for me, and… Actually, you know what?” Harry stands and Louis looks up at him, confused. “I’m just going to let you have a look and I’ll be hiding in the kitchen, so yeah…”

Harry takes off, stumbling in his haste and bumping his hip on the edge of the couch, mumbling curses to himself as he goes. Louis watches him retreat with wide eyes and he really doesn’t understand what’s going on, but his curiosity is now at peak levels and he just _has_ to see Harry’s work. 

He clicks on the folder and it opens up, little thumbnails beside the file names. He chooses the first one and it’s a charcoal drawing of two sets of hands clasped together. It’s absolutely gorgeous with details so intricate it makes Louis gasp. Strokes of deep black fading out to lighter greys, smudges for shadow, finer lines for the veins and forming up the nails. There’s a familiarity too, that Louis can’t quite pinpoint. He closes the file and clicks on the next one eager to see what other treasures are waiting for him.

An image of a garden is presented before him, this one in colour, with an orange and white striped cat. The detail is different this time, more wistful, with the background blurry and the colours bleeding into each other, only the cat in focus.

A kitchen scene is next. Two men wrapped around each other, kissing, and it sends a jolt through Louis’ body. It’s Harry. Harry with someone else and Louis isn’t sure how he feels seeing it. The other man is facing away, leaning up into Harry’s embrace and it’s so intimate. This one is in colour too, but subdued, more sepia tones with hints of other washed-out colours, some green and blue and crimson. It’s beautiful, but Louis’ insides are squirming so he moves onto the next one.

It’s a fireside scene and it’s, well, there’s no other way to describe it other than it’s explicit. It’s a sketch, pencil rather than charcoal and the detail leaves no question about what Harry is depicting. It’s Harry again, that much is clear, but… wait. “What the fuck?”

Harry groans from the kitchen and Louis snaps his head around, gawking at Harry, then back at the screen, then back to Harry again. “Louuuu…” Harry whines as he sheepishly comes back out into the living room.

“Sit your arse down, right the fuck now,” Louis says sternly pointing at the space beside him. Harry does as he’s told with a put-upon sigh and clasps his hands on his bouncing knees.

Louis stares at the image, making it full screen as he tries to take it all in, earning another groan from Harry. It’s stunning is the thing. There, on the screen is Louis. Naked. On all fours. Firelight casting shadows over his back as he’s getting fucked by Harry. There’s no mistaking that it’s him, his head turned, eyes closed with a wanton expression on his face. But there’s something more, something familiar about the scene like he’s imagined it in his head, like he’s seen it before… “Holy shit! That’s-“

“Us. Yeah, I know. I’m so sorry, Lou, I just-“

“No. It’s… I mean, yes, it’s us, but, that’s… that’s Henry and Lewis. That’s from last week’s fic, yeah?”

Harry covers his face with his hands and nods, flinging himself down sideways on the couch. “Yes,” he says, the word barely audible as he mutters it into the couch.

Louis’ brain suddenly kicks into gear and the last three images flash before his eyes. “Hang about, what the…?” He closes the file and opens up the one in the kitchen. Now that he has a frame of reference he recognizes himself as the other man immediately and also realizes that this is a scene from the previous week’s fic. He closes it and opens the one with the cat, and yup, this is from the B&B in the Cotswolds and that’s Tigger in the garden that he remembers describing so carefully in an earlier fic. Finally, he goes back to the artwork of the clasped hands and… they’re his hands, clutched ever so gently in Harry’s own and the breath is knocked completely out of Louis’ lungs. The date on this file is from weeks ago. Louis slumps back into the couch. “Fuck.”

Louis just sits and stares at the screen. He has so much emotion welling up inside he doesn’t know what to do or say or feel. It’s overwhelming.

Harry squirms on the couch, pulling his legs up and curling in on himself and that just won’t do. “Hey, get up here you cheeky shit,” Louis says and pats Harry’s arse. Harry drags himself up but doesn’t take his hands from his face and it makes Louis chuckle. He reaches up and peels Harry’s fingers away, one by one, but Harry scrunches his eyes closed like the adorable idiot that he is. “Open your eyes, baby.” The endearment seems to do the trick and Harry squints one eye open, then the other, a pink blush high on his cheekbones.

“So, yeah, that’s a thing, that I did, and I know it’s a bit, well, odd, but like-“

“Harry. Stop. Take a breath, yeah?” Louis encourages soothingly, taking Harry’s face in his hands and thumbing over his cheeks. “Love, I don’t think you’ve fully grasped the situation here. The whole time that I’ve been writing about us, you’ve been drawing us, even before you knew that’s what I was doing.”

Harry stares at him for a beat, eyes searching for understanding and Louis sees the moment realization dawns. “Ohhhhh…. woah, that’s…”

“Yeah. Woah is an excellent description.” Louis giggles, unable to hold it in any longer because this is some kind of insane fate shit going on here.

“You know...” Louis says as a grin spreads across his face. “I’ve always wanted to work with an artist and have artworks created for my fics. Reckon you’d be up for a collab?”

The beaming smile that forms on Harry’s face is blinding. “Fuck yeah.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Part 5, the final in the series, is now available. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated and if you'd like to reblog my [ Tumblr fic post ](https://jacaranda-bloom.tumblr.com/post/185841906193/from-the-heart-by-jacaranda-bloom-written-for-the) that would be lovely!
> 
> If you enjoyed this work you can subscribe [ here ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacaranda_bloom/) to be notified when new works are posted!


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